The present invention is drawn to a process for producing metallurgical grade coke from a hydrocarbon residuum characterized by high vanadium and sulphur contents during the coking of the hydrocarbon residuum.
When treating a coker feed characterized by high vanadium and sulphur contents in a coking drum, the resultant coke, having vanadium concentration, is not suitable for making anodes for use in, for example, the production of aluminum. In order to upgrade the coke so that is suitable for the manufacture of anode, it is necessary to remove the excess vanadium and sulphur from the coke. The prior art is replete with processes which to one degree or another remove vanadium either from the coker feed or from the resultant coking drum product. Heretofore, there has been no process available which substantially removes all the vanadium and sulphur during the actual coking operation. Naturally, it would be highly desirable to provide a process for producing metallurgical grade coke from a hydrocarbon residuum characterized by high vanadium and sulphur contents during the coking of the hydrocarbon residuum.
Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a process for producing metallurgical grade coke from a coker to feed characterized by high vanadium and sulphur contents.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a process for producing metallurgical grade coke wherein vanadium and sulphur is removed during the actual coking operation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process for producing metallurgical grade coke wherein vanadium can be recovered as vanadium pentoxide.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.